Have you ever wondered just what services a walk-in health center provides? What's the difference, for instance, between "urgent" and "emergent" care?

A state health committee voted Tuesday in favor of recommendations to standardize the names and services that can be provided by ambulatory care centers. The recommendations now go to the state health commissioner for review.

"Right now, there is little oversight for these facilities," Shah told members of the Public Health and Health Planning Council, according to prepared remarks. "Without the proper rules and regulations, these ambulatory care centers are a bit like the Wild West, untamed and without governance."

Health officials hope to clarify the services provided at different centers and require their operators to report patient data, link in to regional health information organizations and coordinate services among state agencies, Shah said.

Officials recommended that walk-in care centers fall under one of the following designations:

Limited services clinics — This would cover retail clinics that typically offer unscheduled appointments to treat minor ailments and illnesses, provide simple screenings for common conditions like diabetes, for instance, and offer immunizations to adults. They would not be allowed to dispense controlled substances or treat children under 2 years old.

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Urgent care — This would designate providers that treat acute, rather than continuing, conditions. Urgent care providers would not provide emergency interventions for major trauma, life-threatening or potentially disabling conditions. These centers would not be allowed to use the word "emergency" or any variation.

Hospital-sponsored off-campus emergency department — These emergency centers, separate from hospitals, could also be called "satellite emergency departments." They would be subject to the same standards as a hospital emergency department and open around the clock.

Non-hospital surgery — There would be no change to ambulatory surgery centers. Office-based surgery and anesthesia would come under some new rules, including accreditation and reporting requirements.